"The Barksman" guide 34bard/32MM/0Infil PvP & Solo build

Forgive me if someone has posted a similar build, but this build comes down more to how well you can "switch hats" in a fight. So, really it takes practice more than soul-point perfection.

The purpose of this hybrid build I dub: "The Barksman" is primarily to keep you and your group/raid buffed with all 5 group motifs and appropriate anthems while also dealing some respectable bow/gun DPS. This build is great for Warfronts/open-world PvP and outdoor PvE encounters. This build is not intended for Raids or Expert Dungeons.

NOTE: This is not a Raid bard spec! Your primary function is buffing and bow/gun DPS (not Cadence healing or Verse of Joy'ing) However, you can Cadence heal when needed, it just wont be ALL you ever do.

Here is my preferred soul-point allocation (this gives you all the best toys as well as the best "bang for your buck" dps talents):Bard (34) / Marksman (32) / Infiltrator (0)http://rift.zam.com/en/stc.html?t=1M...kqz.x0tRVzkudR
You can deviate from this build as long as the number of points in each soul is the same (34 bard / 32 MM.) But I would try my build first before experimenting further.

Coda of Fury and Improved Coda of Wrath (The only Bard finisher you should be using in this build is the healing one: Coda of Restoration. This build provides talents to improve your Marksman finisher spells...so use those as DPS finishers instead of Codas.

Bard rez (Since this build is intended for Warfronts and Open World PvE or Solo content, you will hardly ever need a rez anyway.)

Extended debuff Coda duration (You wont need the extended debuff durations in PvP situations. 30 seconds should be plenty if you even remember to debuff at all.)

Below are the macros I use for this build as well as the keyboard button I hotkey each important skill to (in parenthesis.) I use my keyboard letters as spell hotkeys (keeping W and R as left and right strafe) and use my mouse to move forward. This allows for easy kiting in PvP while always having easy access to my important spells.

Final Comments:
Like I said before, this is a very specialized build that takes a lot of practice to master. However, combining your similar spells into the macros I've listed above will help you consolidate room on your hotbars and help you organize your roles for any given situation. The key here is learning what you and your group need at what time. Don't wait until the last second to start healing, because your bard heals take a little longer to take effect than Cleric or Chloro heals. Also, don't completely forget about refreshing your Motifs when you are spamming the AoE bow/gun macro. Your motifs will really help you and your groups DPS/survivability/healing potential, so don't forget to use them!
This is also a great build for soloing elite mobs in open-world. Put up your motifs, kite with your bow/gun, and then Cadence+CoR when you get 50% hp or lower. Rinse. Repeat.

Please let me know if you have questions or suggestions about this build. I would post average DPS numbers, but your DPS will always depend on the situation and how much healing you do or do not do. I can say, though, with rank 4 PvP gear I do about 800 DPS on the boss practice dummy while maintaining Motifs and not using Cadence+CoR. So, the potential to do decent damage is definitely there with this build.

The Theory behind the build looks fun to play, although I'm not sure of its viability until I test it for myself.

I love keybinds, but yours seem a little odd to me. I'm not saying that they're wrong because it's really personal preference. But you've rebound most of your primary moving keybinds (assuming you use WASD for typical hand placement)

If they work for you, great. If you want to change them, I suggest branching out into shift+ and ctrl+ to literally triple the amount of keybinds. It might help you move around a little better. Just a thought.

Yes, I also use +shift keybinds...but I like keeping my main skills as the primary keyboard buttons. I do not use WASD because it causes carpal tunnel (at least for me.) I use the mouse to move forward and W and R for right and left strafe. If I need to step backwards I use the Down arrow button.

This key-setup took some getting used to but now it's all I use. Much easier than having to mash cnrl or shift all the time (and much better for your fingers.)

Speaking from personal experience, I've tried a few 34 Bard/XY MM/AB Infil builds and I was never able to get anything that felt 'right'. I think the sweet spot for this playstyle in warfront play is 44 MM/22 Bard.

Your key losses are MoR, Fervor (which I don't often use in warfronts), Resonance, and the crowd control (which tends to get broken by randoms), and the "oh ****" healing from Virtuoso, but you pick up additional offensive output and Eradicate, which is quite honestly going to be more useful in a warfront with a decent class distribution (where the impact of bard healing isn't major).

I've played an almost identical playstyle - spec was abit different than yours. Ultimately you'll be always standing behind to snipe and buff. Expect half decent dmg (obviously cannot burst like 51sin or 51mm) and some decent heals. I very much agree with riff + virtuoso + CoR for emergency. Works like a charm like the pally heal. I had several occurrences in fights where I gained distance and just spam heal myself

Unless you're in a small crowd cadence doesn't come in much effect with 20m attk range. Not to mention this spec is more squishy in comparison to the common RS hybrid these days

I had fun with this spec to provide group support and has much higher playing versatility than just deep spec in bard for pvp... though with the limitations in the design, this spec is short in burst and damage output compares to the standard burst specs. I'd rather troll as a cleric if i want to heal and snipe

Hope you'll have fun. Always cool to see people trying out diff things